**6. Trials of organic nutrient solutions in vegetables**

### **6.1 Commercial and nutraceutical quality of compost extract in tomato fruits**

We established a greenhouse trial with six treatments to determine the commercial and nutraceutical qualities and yield of tomato fruits (*Solanum lycopersicon*) fertilized with bovine compost and hen teas, and was treated with synthetic chemical fertilizers. Solutions were varied in electrical conductivity:

1.Compost extract of poultry manure with electric conductivity of 1.5 dS m<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup>


Commercial materials were used as sources, which ensure the absence of pathogenic organisms. The cattle compost was the Organo Del brand (85% organic matter) and the hen the Meyfer brand, which has OMRI registration (37.7% organic matter). The extracts were prepared with a part compost and two water; the concentrate obtained was diluted with water until the indicated electrical conductivity and adjustment of pH to 6 with citric acid were obtained. The treatment of highsolubility synthetic chemical fertilizers used the Steiner solution.

The experiment was established in pots of 13 L capacity black plastic bags, and as a substrate was used, river sand (0.5–2 mm), previously sterilized. The genotype used was of habit determined variety "Caloro". The nutrient contents of the applied solutions, pH and EC, are presented in **Table 4**. All treatments had an average drainage of 20%. At 80 and 90–100 days after transplantation, the fruits with which the data were taken for evaluation were harvested.

The results indicate that treatments with organic solutions (hen and bovine extract) achieved production, quality in Brix grades, and phenol content statistically equal to those obtained in fertilizer, fertilizing treatments such as synthetic chemicals, regardless of the electrical conductivity of nutrient solutions (**Figure 6**). However, the antioxidant capacity was significantly higher in organic nutrient solutions with levels of 2 dS m<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> (p < 0.05).
